The Shameful Past of Mistress Т.

6. The Orphan Asylum of St. Cube (part 3)

[UNEDITED]

***

While returning home, Talia felt as if she had gorged on poisonous frogs. Trying to hide her annoyance from prying eyes, she had shapeshifted and trailed through the cave on four stiff legs shaking with exasperation.

Enaor had slipped away somewhere. Having rolled up the corner of the tablecloth, Fargon was playing some complicated solitaire game. Ridgie, picturesquely reclining in an armchair, watched the cards with a blissful smile and a faraway look in his eyes. Seeing Talia, the Anlimorian politely removed his feet from the armrest, but she did not appreciate his gesture.

"Well, Ridgie, so now you can repeat everything that you had said the day before yesterday to comfort me. Now it would be very appropriate. They fired me because of this stupid Sivbav's thing!" Talia roared, falling on the sofa.

"I can't believe it. The headmistress Tnori has always seemed to me a sensible, shrewd woman," Fargon looked up at her.

"And you were right. It's the way she is. She just decided that now it is more profitable for her to believe that I'm guilty. I have a strong feeling that one of the important sponsors of her institution have some problem with me. And that this sponsor isn't a selfless and sincere friend of all children."

"Tnori would certainly have noticed something wrong with them," Fargon said, once the an Kamian had finished sharing her suspicions with the friends. "No matter how badly she had treated you, she genuinely loves her children and will not let anyone hurt them."

"But what if somebody had intimidated her?"

"It's possible. But what about other sponsors? They, like Tnori, regularly visit the St. Cube and the other shelters for an inspection. They couldn't all have been intimidated!"

"They pay more attention to the well-being of children's bodies, rather than the well-being of their souls," Talia guessed, after a moment's thought. "Remember my copy—looked quite good. What if those inspectors see only healthy and cheerful shells? And meanwhile, souls of the orphans languish somewhere else, where somebody is trying to reshape them, making these little ones goody-goodies, or even to use them as a source of energy? There were cases, you know."

"Yes, they were," Fargon nodded. "But here is the question: why abduct the souls of children already admitted to the orphanage, when Lennes is full of tramps nobody cares about? What is so special about the pupils of Tnori?"

"They're real rascals," Talia chuckled.

"This, of course, significantly distinguishes them from other abyss-dwellers," Ridgie yawned.

"Well, they are certified real rascals," said the an Kamian, showing him a card she had just stolen from Fargon—a sneaking thug with a huge knife."

"And what follows from this?" asked Fargon, taking away her loot.

"For example, somebody might think that if they are such incorrigible knaves, then it would be acceptable to use them for some experiments ... or whatever it is that those guys who set me up do with the souls? We need to gather more information!" Talia slapped the table with her palm. "Oh! Luri came here yesterday! What did she want?"

"She said she is sent on a duty journey and asked us to look after her feathers," Ridgie replied.

"How inopportune! Well, we still have one valuable source of information—my successful rival, master Kipheb. We have to pay a visit to him!"